Cockroaches in Kentucky: which ones you have, and why it matters

What cockroaches live in Kentucky homes?

Two kinds, and they behave so differently that they are really two separate problems.

The German cockroach is "by far the most common cockroach infesting homes and buildings" [1]. It is small, it lives indoors with people, and it stays indoors.

The larger species — American and Oriental cockroaches — prefer basements, crawlspaces and outdoor areas [1]. They turn up inside, but they are coming in from somewhere rather than living in the kitchen cabinet.

Knowing which one you have matters more than it sounds, because it decides where the treatment has to reach.

How do you tell a German cockroach from the bigger ones?

Start with size and where you found it.

• Size. German cockroaches are small. American cockroaches are among the largest that come indoors.
• Where. German cockroaches are "most common in kitchens and bathrooms", because that is where they find the warmth, moisture and food they need [1]. A roach in the basement or crawlspace is more likely one of the larger species [1].
• Whether you see them at all. Cockroaches "spend little time out in the open" [1]. Seeing one in daylight in a kitchen usually means there are many more you have not seen.

Why do German cockroaches spread between rooms and apartments?

Because they travel through the building, not across the floor.

German cockroaches "often travel between rooms or adjoining apartments via walls, ceilings, pipes, wires and other openings" [1]. The larger species are less mobile [1].

That is why a German cockroach problem in an apartment building is rarely one apartment's problem. It is also why treating a single room often does very little: the population is using the structure itself as a corridor.

What attracts cockroaches?

German cockroaches need three things: "warmth, moisture, and food" [1]. Kitchens and bathrooms supply all three, which is why that is where they concentrate.

They also gather for a reason people do not expect. Cockroaches congregate "in response to aggregating odors in their feces" [1] — the places they have already been become the places they keep returning to. That is part of why an infestation settles into particular cracks and crevices and stays there.

Where do cockroaches hide?

Close to warmth, water and food — and in gaps you would need a torch to see into.

University of Kentucky lists the German cockroach's places as "Cracks and crevices under sinks and toilets; beneath/behind refrigerators, dishwashers, and stoves; near trash containers; and inside cabinets and pantries" [1]. They "require warmth, moisture, and food, which is why they are most common in kitchens and bathrooms" [1].

One more surprises people: they "also congregate in clocks, toaster ovens, and other heat-producing electronic equipment" [1]. A problem is often living inside an appliance rather than behind it.

And seeing one at all says something. "Cockroaches are more active at night than during the daytime. During the day, they generally remain hidden in cracks and other dark, secluded areas" [1].

Can cockroaches get in your bed?

They can, but a bed is not where they live. Cockroaches go where there is food, water and warmth, which is why they gather in kitchens and bathrooms. One in a bedroom usually means either food and drinks are kept there, or the population in the kitchen has grown large enough to spread out. Unlike bed bugs, cockroaches do not feed on people or settle into mattresses.

How do you find where cockroaches are hiding?

Look at night. Leave the kitchen dark for an hour or so after bedtime, then switch on the light: the ones caught out run straight back to where they are living, and that tells you where to look. A flashlight under the sink, behind the refrigerator and stove, and along the hinges of cabinets does the rest.

The droppings and empty egg cases described below mark the busiest spots, and sticky monitoring cards laid flat along baseboards show over a few days which corner is the most active.

Why is there a cockroach on the ceiling?

Because it is probably not the kitchen species.

Brownbanded cockroaches behave unlike the rest. UK finds them in "upper areas of ceilings, walls, cabinets, and closets; behind picture frames and wall decorations; and beneath or inside furniture" [1].

So a roach high on a wall, away from the kitchen, points at a different species — and a different search.

Why are there roaches in the basement?

Because the big ones live at ground level and below.

American cockroaches prefer "dark, moist areas, such as in basements and crawl spaces," and congregate "in floor drains, sump pumps, pipe chases, and laundry areas" [1]. Oriental cockroaches live in "sewers, crawlspaces, cellars, and basements," and "occur at ground level, often living in floor drains and sump pumps" [1].

A basement roach is usually reporting on moisture and a way in from outside, not on the kitchen.

What is a wood cockroach, or "tree roach"?

A native cockroach that lives outdoors, in woodpiles, under loose bark and in leaf litter. Wood cockroaches are brown, about an inch long, and the males fly — they come to porch lights on warm nights in late spring and early summer and sometimes wander in through an open door or come in on firewood.

They are not an infestation. Wood cockroaches do not survive long indoors and do not breed in the house, so one in the living room in June is a stray, not a sign of German cockroaches in the kitchen. Keeping firewood outside until it is burned, and outside lights off or yellow on summer nights, keeps them out.

Is it a water bug or a cockroach?

Usually a cockroach. "Water bug" and "palmetto bug" are everyday names for the large cockroaches — mostly American and Oriental cockroaches — especially the ones that come up through floor drains or turn up in damp basements. A big, reddish-brown or glossy black insect in a basement, laundry room or bathroom is almost certainly one of them.

True water bugs are a different insect altogether: large, flat, brown insects with grasping front legs that live in ponds, streams and ditches. They breathe from the water's surface, hunt small fish and tadpoles, and only come near houses when they fly to outdoor lights at night. They do not live indoors.

Can cockroaches fly?

Some can, most barely do, and the one most people have indoors almost never does.

• German cockroaches have full wings but almost never fly. At most they glide a short way when they drop from a counter or cabinet.
• American cockroaches can fly, though what they do is closer to a glide from a high spot to a lower one. It happens more in hot weather, which is why people see one "fly" at them in summer.
• Oriental cockroaches cannot fly. Males have wings that stop short of the end of the body; females have only small wing stubs.
• Brownbanded cockroaches split by sex. The males have wings longer than their bodies and may fly a short distance when disturbed; the females do not fly.

So a cockroach flying across a room is almost never the German cockroach in the kitchen. It is usually one of the larger species that came in from outside.

What does a baby cockroach look like?

Like the adult, smaller, and without wings.

University of Kentucky: "The nymphs resemble adults except that they are smaller and lack wings. The nymphs gradually become larger and inhabit the same places as the adults" [1]. German cockroach nymphs are "smaller and darker with a tan stripe down the middle of the back" [1].

Because they "inhabit the same places as the adults" [1], where you find one is where they are living rather than where one wandered through. And the numbers behind them are the reason a few become many: a German cockroach egg case produces "up to 40" nymphs, other kinds "15-20" [1].

What do cockroach eggs look like?

Cockroaches do not lay loose eggs. They lay a hard, brown capsule, called an egg case or ootheca, that looks like a small bean or purse with a ridge along one edge. The eggs are inside it.

• German cockroach: a light tan capsule about a quarter inch long. The female carries it sticking out of the end of her body until the eggs are nearly ready to hatch, so a roach with a tan "tail" is a female carrying eggs.
• American and Oriental cockroaches: a darker capsule, reddish-brown to nearly black. The female drops it or glues it in a sheltered spot near food and water, often in basements, crawlspaces and around drains.
• Brownbanded cockroaches: small capsules glued in clusters to hidden surfaces — the undersides of furniture and shelves, and high on walls and ceilings.

Empty capsules stay behind after hatching. Like droppings, they tell you where cockroaches have been breeding.

What do cockroach droppings look like?

Small, dark and easy to mistake for dirt.

UK describes them exactly: "The droppings appear as pepper-like specks in areas of current or former activity" [1].

That makes them worth reading rather than wiping away. The specks mark where cockroaches gather, and "current or former" is the useful part — they stay after the roaches have gone, so finding them tells you where to look, not how many are there now.

Do cockroaches bite?

They can, but it is rare. Cockroaches have chewing mouthparts, and bites on people have been recorded — almost always in very heavy infestations where food is scarce, and usually on someone asleep. In an ordinary home, a cockroach is not going to bite you.

The larger health concern is what they leave behind. Cockroach droppings, shed skins and body parts contain proteins that can trigger allergies and asthma, particularly in children. Cockroaches also walk through drains and garbage and then across counters and food, carrying bacteria with them.

If you are worried about a bite or a reaction, that is a question for a healthcare provider.

Where do cockroaches come from?

It depends on the species, and that is the most useful thing to know about them.

German cockroaches are carried in. They arrive in grocery bags, cardboard boxes, used appliances and furniture, and luggage, and in apartments they move in through walls and pipes from the unit next door. A German cockroach problem almost always starts with something brought inside.

American and Oriental cockroaches walk in. They live outdoors, in sewers and in damp crawlspaces, and they enter through floor drains, gaps under doors, openings around pipes and utility lines, and cracks in the foundation.

Why do cockroaches suddenly appear?

Usually one of two things. Weather drives the outdoor species inside: heavy rain, a hot dry spell or the first cold nights all push them toward shelter and water. Or a German cockroach population that was already living in the walls has grown large enough that some are now out in the open — which, as above, means there are many more that are not.

How long do cockroaches live?

Long enough for numbers to build quickly.

A German cockroach goes from egg to adult in about two months in a warm kitchen, and an adult lives several more months. With each female producing several egg cases, that is why a few become many in a single season.

The larger species are slower. An American cockroach can take the better part of a year to grow up, and the adult can live a year or more.

Does a clean house get cockroaches?

Yes. This is the part worth saying plainly.

Cleanliness matters — University of Kentucky entomologists describe it as "an important step in preventing and correcting problems", and recommend clearing food waste, storing food in sealed containers and reducing clutter [1].

But the same source is clear that "even clean homes can become infested" [1]. In an apartment building especially, a household can do everything right and still get German cockroaches through the walls from a neighbouring unit.

If you have cockroaches, it is not a verdict on your housekeeping.

Why doesn't store-bought spray fix it?

Because the roaches are not where the spray goes.

Cockroaches spend most of their time hidden in cracks and crevices, and treatments fail when they miss those harbourages [1]. Spraying along a baseboard where you saw one treats the route, not the population — and a German cockroach population that is travelling through wall voids and around pipes is mostly somewhere a spray can cannot reach.

Proper placement is the whole job. That is the difference between knocking down the few you can see and dealing with the ones you cannot.

How does Liberty handle each kind?

The two problems are handled differently, and it is worth knowing which one you are asking about.

American cockroaches and the other larger species are covered by every plan. They are part of general pest control, treated on the regular schedule inside and outside, along with the ants, spiders and mice a plan covers.

German cockroaches are a separate treatment. They are not a plan pest. A German cockroach job is quoted after an inspection and arranged by phone rather than booked online, because what the treatment needs to do depends on how far the population has spread and what it is travelling through.

When to call a professional

Call when you are seeing cockroaches in the kitchen in daylight, when they come back after cleaning and store-bought spray, or when you live in an apartment and the problem is not only yours.

The inspection settles which species you have, and that decides the rest: the larger cockroaches are handled on your regular pest control visits, while a German cockroach population moving through the building needs its own quoted treatment.

Common questions

Are cockroaches common in Kentucky?

Yes. The German cockroach is the most common cockroach in homes and buildings generally, and Kentucky homes are no exception [1].

What is the difference between a German cockroach and an American cockroach?

Size and habit. German cockroaches are small, live indoors in kitchens and bathrooms, and move between rooms through walls and pipes. American cockroaches are much larger and prefer basements, crawlspaces and outdoors, coming inside from there [1].

Why do I only see cockroaches at night?

Cockroaches spend little time in the open [1]. Seeing them during the day in a kitchen usually means the population is larger than what is visible.

Can a clean house still get roaches?

Yes. Cleanliness helps and is worth doing, but even clean homes become infested [1] — particularly in apartments, where German cockroaches travel between units through the structure.

Where do cockroaches hide during the day?

In cracks and dark, secluded places — German cockroaches under sinks and toilets, behind refrigerators, dishwashers and stoves, near trash containers and inside cabinets and pantries, and even inside clocks and toaster ovens [1].

Can cockroaches get in your bed?

They can, but they do not live there. A cockroach in a bedroom usually means food is kept there or the kitchen population has grown large enough to spread out. Unlike bed bugs, they do not feed on people.

Why do I see cockroaches on the ceiling?

That is usually the brownbanded cockroach, which lives in "upper areas of ceilings, walls, cabinets, and closets; behind picture frames and wall decorations; and beneath or inside furniture" [1].

Why are there cockroaches in my basement?

American and oriental cockroaches live at ground level and below — basements, crawl spaces, cellars, floor drains and sump pumps [1].

What does a baby cockroach look like?

"The nymphs resemble adults except that they are smaller and lack wings" [1]. German cockroach nymphs are "smaller and darker with a tan stripe down the middle of the back" [1].

What do cockroach droppings look like?

"The droppings appear as pepper-like specks in areas of current or former activity" [1] — so they mark where cockroaches gather, and they stay after the roaches have moved on.

Can cockroaches fly?

Some can. American cockroaches glide or fly short distances, especially in hot weather, and male brownbanded cockroaches may fly when disturbed. German cockroaches have wings but almost never fly, and Oriental cockroaches cannot fly at all.

Do cockroaches bite people?

Rarely. Bites have been recorded, almost always in very heavy infestations. The bigger health concern is that cockroach droppings and shed skins can trigger allergies and asthma.

What do cockroach eggs look like?

A hard, brown, bean-shaped capsule with a ridge along one edge. German cockroach capsules are light tan and about a quarter inch long, and the female carries hers until it is nearly ready to hatch. American and Oriental cockroach capsules are darker and are left in sheltered spots.

Where do cockroaches come from?

German cockroaches are carried in, in grocery bags, boxes, used appliances and luggage, or come through the walls from a neighboring apartment. American and Oriental cockroaches come in from outside and from drains and crawlspaces.

Is a water bug a cockroach?

Usually. "Water bug" and "palmetto bug" are common names for large cockroaches such as American and Oriental cockroaches. True water bugs live in ponds and streams and do not live indoors.

What is a tree roach?

A wood cockroach: a native, outdoor cockroach from woodpiles and leaf litter. The males fly to lights in late spring and early summer and sometimes come inside, but they do not breed indoors.

Do pest control plans cover cockroaches?

American cockroaches and the other larger species are covered by every Liberty plan. German cockroaches are not; they are a separate treatment, quoted after an inspection.

Sources

1. University of Kentucky Entomology. Michael F. Potter. "Cockroach Elimination in Homes and Apartments" (ENTFACT-614). https://entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef614 ↗ (opens in a new tab)